Introduction:

Acute respiratory infection is one of the main causes of medical care, and it generates an economic burden.

Objective:

To describe clinical characteristics and costs of acute respiratory infection in the emergency service before and during COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

Descriptive, observational and retrospective study in children with acute respiratory infection who were attended in the Emergencies service of ´´William Soler´´ Pediatric Hospital, in the period January-July, 2020. Variables assessed: age, sex, month, diagnosis, admission´s demand, cost of case attended, COVID-19 suspicious cases according to contacts epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and thorax X-ray. Costs analysis was made from the perspective of the National Health System.

Results:

10 902 cases were attented in the Emergencies service: 9 144 cases (83,9%) 3 months before the onset of the pandemic, and 1 758 (16,1%) in 3 months during COVID-19 outbreak. Most of the medical care was related to: acute otitis media (23,1%), non-classified acute respiratory infection (21,2%), acute rhinopharyngitis (20,8%). The number of admissions in the hospital were: 608 in ward (5,6%) and 83 in ICU (0,8%). From the total of admissions, 79,7% were before the pandemic. Pneumonia was the main cause of admission in wards (56,3%) and in ICU (65,1%). None of COVID-19 suspicious cases were positive. Medical care due to acute respiratory infection in the emergencies service generated expenses adding up 104 441,16 CUP (Cuban Pesos); and the highest cost by acute otitis media was 24 036,22 CUP.

Conclusions:

There are a decrease of acute respiratory infections in three months of COVID-19 pandemic (April- June). The expenses in the emergencies service were high.

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